I love to use an air gun to bend wood (particularly for a single piece), but ya got to be careful. You need to "feel" the wood as it heats, and as the wood gets very hot, you will "feel" the wood relax and begin to give. You don't want to force it so it cracks. Be sure to keep the hot air gun moving so you don't scorch the wood...you just want to heat up the area hot enough so it relaxes and let the heat do the work; it does take the touch!!!!
For what it is worth...my main concern is with that wood you are using. I just don't know how solid that spalted maple is or how well it will bend. Most wood I have used has been straight grained and pretty bendable (ash, oak, ceders of various sorts). On the bright side...in the world of bending wood...the radius of a tear isn't that sharp a curve. Only you can tell.
Boiling water in a 3" pvc pipe and the Spalted Maple bent like rubber. It did cool off fast and once cooled it wasn't bending. One piece at a time I think.
oh and not the 2" wide I had originally cut because James (the wood guy) sent it through the planer on all sides before stripping.
